Governing Bodies
TOKYO 2020 OLYMPIC GAMES UNLIKELY TO HAPPEN IN 2021, CORONAVIRUS EXPERTS SAY
Tokyo’s postponed Olympics is unlikely to take place even in 2021 as the conronavirus pandemic may not be fully contained around the world by then, a growing number of infectious disease experts warn.
The highly contagious virus, which has claimed more than 200,000 lives globally, will be at various stages of spread and infection in different countries by next summer, making it hard to pull off a large-scale international event, some health policy experts say.
Under such a scenario, guests and athletes from more than 200 countries and regions would require extensive testing and quarantines – a logistical process that may not be feasible.
“Japan may be able to contain the virus by next year’s Games” but other regions like the United States, Africa or Brazil may not, creating an uneven playing field for athletes, said Norio Sugaya, a visiting professor at Keio University’s School of Medicine in Tokyo and a member of a World Health Organisation (WHO) panel advising on pandemic influenza.
“It’s going to be tough to hold the Olympics.”
Sugaya’s concern is echoed by Yoshito Niki, a visiting professor of infectious diseases at Showa University, who warns that the world will need at least two years to contain the virus as infections return in the northern and southern hemispheres when they enter their winter seasons.
If the Games are to be pushed ahead regardless, spectators would have to be shut out and athletes would have to travel to Japan a month in advance for testing, he said. That raises the question of whether it will be even worth having the event at all, he said.
If extensive testing and quarantining of guests are needed, that would add to the massive logistical task of rescheduling the Games, which include rearranging contractors, securing venues and ensuring the multitude of stakeholder interests are aligned. At stake are billions of dollars in sponsorship money and broadcast rights.
A timely development of a vaccine would be one sliver of hope, but even that is optimistic as it may take three years for it to reach some of the poorer countries, Niki said. While more than 100 experimental vaccines are in some stage of development, according to the WHO, it will take more than a year to ensure their effectiveness and safety, according to Sugaya.
Japan’s Olympics Minister Seiko Hashimoto on Friday (May 1) said that the Games will not hinge on the development of a vaccine, Kyodo News reported.
Organisers and Japanese government officials have said that if the Games do not happen in 2021, then they will likely be cancelled. The Summer Games have been rescheduled for July 23 to Aug 8 of next year.
“If the virus isn’t contained by then, the Olympics will be difficult to pull off in its complete form,” Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Wednesday.
The Tokyo 2020 organising committee will continue to stay in close collaboration with the International Olympic Committee and the WHO, spokesman Masa Takaya said in an e-mailed reply to request for comments.
“With regards to the situation around the novel coronavirus, we do not speculate.”
The Games, originally scheduled to be held this summer, were postponed as the pandemic raged across the US and Europe. Over 3.2 million people have been infected.
While Japan is seeing some success in containing the virus after declaring a state of emergency in early April – which is set to be extended by a month – limited testing makes it hard to grasp the true scale of infections. Japan has about 14,000 confirmed cases, far less than some other major economies.
It is also going to be a challenge to make the competition fair, with the virus affecting the competing nations in different ways and at different times.
“If the pandemic spikes at different times in different zones, creating a devastating staggering, it will produce an unlevel playing field for the athletes,” Rick Burton, a professor of sports management at Syracuse University, said in an e-mailed statement.
“That could mean some Olympians would be cleared to resume regular training activities at different points of time. That advantage would not fit the Olympic ideal.”
– Bloomberg News
Governing Bodies
FIFA opens disciplinary proceedings against Congo officials over financial misconduct
FIFA’s ethics committee launched disciplinary proceedings against three senior Congolese Football Federation (FECOFOOT) officials on Wednesday, including president Jean-Guy Mayolas, over allegations of financial misconduct.
Mayolas, his wife and his son were sentenced to life in prison earlier this month after a criminal court in the Congolese capital, Brazzaville, convicted them of embezzling $1.1 million in FIFA funds. Media reports said their whereabouts were not known , and they were tried in absentia.
FECOFOOT general secretary Wantete Badji and treasurer Raoul Kanda are also subject to the disciplinary proceedings, FIFA said. Badji and Kanda were sentenced to five years each in prison by the court in Brazzaville for related charges.
“These proceedings follow the receipt of information and documents during an audit,” FIFA said in a statement.
-Reuters
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The World Anti-Doping Agency is considering rewriting its rules to try barring President Donald Trump and all U.S. government officials from attending the LA Olympics in 2028, in a move that could also have implications for the World Cup being hosted by the U.S. this summer.
The proposal, on the agenda for next Tuesday’s meeting of the global drug-fighting watchdog’s executive committee, is the latest manoeuvre to come out of a yearslong refusal of the U.S. government to pay its annual dues to WADA.
The refusal is part of the American government’s unanimous, bipartisan protest of the agency’s handling of a case involving Chinese swimmers and other issues.
The Associated Press learned of the agenda item through correspondence it obtained between WADA and European officials involved in the agency’s decision-making. Two others with knowledge of the agenda confirmed the existence of the rules proposal to AP; they were not authorised to speak publicly about the agenda, which has not been released publicly.
The proposal was, in fact, first brought up in 2024, when U.S. authorities successfully lobbied for its rejection. The U.S. has since lost its seat on the executive committee.
“In spite of WADA’s increasing threats, we continue to stand firm in our demand for accountability and transparency from WADA to ensure fair competition in sport,” said Sara Carter, the director of the U.S. Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP).
The rule, if passed, would figure to be mostly symbolic, given the limits an international sports federation could have on the president of a country attending an event inside his own borders.
“I have never heard of a $50-million-budget Swiss foundation being able to enforce a rule to, for example, prevent the United States president from going anywhere,” said Carter’s predecessor at ONDCP, Rahul Gupta, who was on the WADA executive committee two years ago and led the movement to reject the proposal. “And the next question you have to ask is: How are you going to enforce it? Are they going to post a red notice from Interpol? It’s ludicrous. It’s clear they have not thought this through.”
In a news release after this story published, WADA said the AP story was “entirely misleading,” focusing on Fitzgerald’s statement to the AP that if proposals being discussed were “introduced, given that the rules would not apply retroactively, the FIFA World Cup, LA and Salt Lake City Games (in 2034) would not be covered.”
Fitzgerald’s only answer to three emails from AP seeking clarification on his initial response — specifically about how a rule that had not yet been adopted could or couldn’t be applied retroactively on events that are scheduled for the future — was: “I’m trying to say that it would not apply retroactively so those events would not be covered. Given that and the next meeting of the Board being scheduled for November, I don’t see how it could come into play for this year’s World Cup.”
-AP
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The Confederation of African Football has dismissed Yasin Osman Robleh, the Djiboutian official who headed its judicial bodies for the past six years, in a move aimed at restoring confidence in the organisation’s disciplinary processes.
According to reports from convergence sources, the decision was confirmed on Saturday by CAF Secretary General Veron Mosengo-Omba, bringing an abrupt end to Robleh’s tenure overseeing the confederation’s disciplinary and investigative committees since 2019.
Robleh’s position reportedly came under increasing pressure following the controversy surrounding sanctions imposed after the Africa Cup of Nations Final between Morocco and Senegal. The disciplinary decisions that followed the match sparked criticism from several quarters and placed CAF’s legal framework under intense scrutiny.
In response to the situation, CAF’s Executive Committee has appointed Togolese lawyer Cedric Egai, currently the confederation’s Director of Legal Affairs, as interim head of the judicial bodies.
Egai is expected to stabilise the organisation’s legal arm while CAF works toward appointing a permanent successor to Robleh.
Disciplinary Decisions Delayed
The leadership change has already affected ongoing disciplinary processes within the confederation. CAF’s disciplinary committee reportedly held hearings last Thursday on several cases, including the high-profile encounter involving Egypt’s Al Ahly and Morocco’s AS FAR.
However, decisions on those matters have been temporarily put on hold pending the confirmation of new leadership within the judicial structure.
Sources indicate that once a permanent successor is appointed, CAF will move swiftly to conclude outstanding disciplinary rulings affecting both clubs and national teams.
Restoring Confidence
The move is widely seen as part of CAF’s effort to restore confidence in its judicial system following weeks of controversy surrounding disciplinary decisions at major competitions.
Robleh’s departure closes a significant chapter in CAF’s legal administration, while Egai’s interim appointment signals a potential shift in leadership and governance at a critical time for African football.
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